Parallel Lines: Visual Art, CBGB, and Downtown Nightlife

The single most important site for the American punk and New Wave movements, CBGBhelped start the careers of countless bands, including the Ramones, Blondie, Television, and the Talking Heads. Simultaneous to this creative outburst, the downtown New York arts scene was undergoing its own explosion through the development of new practices and alternative venues for exhibition. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Come Closer: Art Around the Bowery, 1969–1989,” this panel discussion explores the impact that CBGB and other downtown music venues had on creative activity in the neighborhood. Inspired by the bands, the crowds, and the set of contrasts presented by these clubs, artists developed projects that reflected this new energy. This panel discussion will reflect on the ways in which these two parallel developments informed and supported each other.